What happened in the Pacific?

Japan

Japan was part of the Axis Alliance, also known as the Tripartite Alliance.

They agreed to support Germany because they also wanted to expand their territory.

While Germany was expanding in Europe, Japan hoped to quietly invade territory in the Pacific and gain power.

 

Remember that land = power.

Japan itself is a very small island with limited natural resources and that means that they are reliant on other countries to trade with them. 

1931

Japan occupies Manchuria and takes their natural resources, even though they knew that the USA traded with Manchuria for those natural resources. 

1937

Japan invades China.

The USA announces an embargo on trading aviation fuel, rubber and oil with Japan to try and get them to retreat. Japan ignores this and continues their occupation.

1940

Japan signs the Tripartite Pact and begins invading smaller countries like the Philippines in the Pacific and the USA freezes all of their assets in the US.

1941 - 7 December:

Japan launches an aerial attack on Pearl Harbour, a large US Naval Base on Honolulu Island, Hawaii.

This base played a major part on protecting the west coast of the USA from attack and also preventing Japan from attacking whoever they like in the Pacific Ocean.

The idea behind the attack was to cripple the US Navy, leaving the US vulnerable and allowing the Japanese to take territories like Australia.

It was a surprise bombing raid carried out by kamikaze (suicide) pilots .

Continued

The surprise attack worked in the sense that it caught the US unawares. the USA retaliated against this attack by joining the war effort in Europe, which ultimately turned the tide of the war and led to the end of World War II. They also started to fight back in the Pacific and eventually retaliated against the Japanese by dropping two atomic bombs on them in 1945.